Intake regulator for siphon tanks



J. w. cox

INTAKE REGULATOR FOR SIRHOKN w 'xs,

Nay; 24, 1925- Filed July 21, 1921 Patented Nov. 24, 1925.

JAMES W. COX, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNOR T0 PACIFIC FLUSH TANK COMPANY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

IIIPIUAILE) REGULATGR FOR SIPI-ION TANKS.

Application filed July 21, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Jan as TV. Cox, a citizen of the United States. residing at Chicage, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Intake Regulators for Siphon. Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to flush-tanks for sewage systems, which are designed to receive a predetermined amount of water and discharge at regulated inter vals into the sewers to flush the latter. Ordinarily these flush-tanks are composed of concrete or masonry and the discharge apparatus is in the nature of a siphon. When the level of the liquid rises to the point for which the tank and siphon are designed, the discharge of the tank occurs and it is substantially emptied before the flow ceases. The intervals between successive discharges obviously depend upon the rate at which water is supplied to the tank. Commonly it is desirable for the sake of economy that the intervals between discharges be of considerable length and, therefore, the stream of water entering the tank must be correspondingly small. The flow is commonly regulated by a plug, having an orifice of the required size, which necessarily is quite small and, therefore, any, even very small obstruction in the plug will greatly reduce the stream of water entering the tank and correspondingly prolong the period between flushings. In order to predetermine the length of these periods it is necessary to preserve carefully the effective cross-section of the passage of the plug and to avoid any obstruction lodging therein. For this purpose it is old to provide a fine mesh screen in advance of the plug, through which screen the water must pass to reach the plug and by means thereof any, except the finest particles of solid matter are arrested. The screen, however, is apt to soon become coated or covered with such arrested particles, thus reducing the speed of flow and in this manner objectionably increasing the periods between operations of the siphon. It is the object of the present invention to provide such an intake device in which the orifice of the plug is formed of material of such character that it does not readily arrest foreign matter or become coated with material which reduces its efiective bore. It is Serial No. 486,449.

a further object of the invention to provide an intake device having a screen of the character above mentioned, which is at proper intervals washed or swept clean of any matter which tends to clog the same so that it always presents a free passage to the water on its way to the plug.

In the accompanying drawings and in the following specification I describe in detail a preferred form of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the specific disclosure is for the purpose of exemplification only and that the scope of the invention is described in the following claims in which I have endeavored to distinguish it from the prior art so far as it is known to me without, however, relinquishing or abandoning any portion or feature thereof.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a flush-tank provided with a siphon, also shown in section, and having my improved form of water inlet applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the water inlet and Fig. 3 an axial section through the plug which regulates the size of the stream flowing into the tank.

Referring to Fig. 1, the flush tank 4 is shown as of an ordinary type and provided with a siphon device 5 which, being of wellknown form need not be here described. The outlet from the siphon is shown at 6.

The inlet pipe 7 for the water is provided with a turning plug 8 and a fitting 9, the latter being located slightly above the level to which the water in the tank is permitted. to rise before the siphon begins to exhaust it therefrom. The fitting 9 comprises a casting 10 screwed into the casing of the turning plug at 11 to receive water flowing through pipe 7 and said plug. Opposite the connection 11 the casting 10 is formed with an opening 12 and seat 13 arranged at an angle to the axis of the nipple 11. The seat 13 about the opening 12 receives the edge of the circular filtering screen 14. which is held between said seat and the entering portion 15 of the casting 16. The casting 16 comprises a tubular portion which, when the casting is in place is substantially in axial alignment with nipple 11 and the entering portion 15 and the face thereof are arranged at an angle to the axis of the tubular portion so that the screen 14 is interposed between the passage of the casting 10 and the passage of the castlng 16 and at an incline thereto. The castings are held together by means of an internally threaded collar 17 screwing upon the nipple 18 of casting 10 and having an inwardly extending flange 10 engaging the entering portion 15 of casting 16. The end of the tubular portion of casting 16 is closed at 20 and formed with an internally threaded boss 21 forming an opening through its wall which receives a hollow metal screw plug 22. The hollow or bore of the screw plug 22 is occupied by a short tubular section 23 of glass or similar hard material, preferably cemented in the surface of the bore 24- of which is smooth and hard and therefore offers little opportunity for obstructions of any kind to lodge or form thereon. It will. be noted that the tubular liner projects slightly above the conical end of the metal plug in which it is cemented, thus further. tending to prevent the loc gment of obstructive matter in or about the bore of the tube.

The casting 10 is formed with a pocket 25 which, as seen in Fig. 2, is so located as to receive any foreign matter which may be intercepted by the screen 14 and dropped therefrom. Thelower end of the pocket is formed with a reduced interiorly threaded neck 26 which receives a casting 27 the upper end of which is formed with a reduced exteriorly threaded nipple 28 which is screwed into the neck 26.- The upper inner edge'of the nipple is rounded at 29 to form a seat for the ball valve 30, which is normally seated in the nipple 28 and seals the bottom of the pocket. The casting 27 is open at its lower end 31, diametrically slotted at 32 and formed with ears at opposite sides of the slot on one side which receive a bolt 33 to which a lever 34 extending through the slotted portion of the casting ispivoted, so as to have a limited swinging movement in a vertical plane in said slot. The lever 34 is crotched or bifurcated at its outer or free end and ahead 35-is pivoted in the crotch by screw 36. A float 37 is rigidly connected to head 35 by rod 38, the head, rod and float having a limited swinging'movement. about the pivot screw 36, the

movement being limited.v by abutments 39,-

40" on said head; engaging the lower. and upper edges respectively of thelever 34.

A counter 44, which may be ofordinary form is mounted on the lever 34 and the operating arm.42 thereof connected by link 41.: to the head. 35. As the water. rising in the tank; raises the float, the latter. first operatesthe counter asit swings relative to the lever: 84- and then, when the relative movement is arrested by the shoulder 40 coming into, contact with lever 34 the furthe]: movement ofthefloat raises the valve pfirrrritting a: rapid. flow. of. water. through the outlet 28 which thoroughly washes the screen. The pressure of the water within the fitting keeps the valve closed until the float exerts a considerable upward pressure so that when the valve is opened it is car ried far enough from the seat to provide a free passage for the water. It will be noted that the entire valve, float and counter structure is mounted upon the casting 27 and may be removed from or added to the inlet fitting as a unit. In place of this construction the threaded opening 26 obviously may be closedby a screw plug.

The inlet fitting is so arranged with reference to the siphon that this cleaning of the filter screen only takes place when the water has risen nearly to the level at which the siphon discharges the tank. As the water level drops during the discharge by the siphon the valve closes under the weight of the float and connected parts and remains closed until the level of the water again approaches that at which the siphon opcrates.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, an inlet fitting having an outlet perforation, a pocket formed in the bottom of the fitting between the inlet and said outlet perforation, a screen arranged in the fitting between the inlet and said outlet perforation and above and extending over at least a portion of the pocket so that heavy matter intercepted by the screen may fall into the pocket, an outlet opening in the bottom of said pocket, an upwardly opening valve normally closing the outlet opening in the pocket, and a float connected to-the valve for opening the latter.

2. In a device of the class described, an inlet fitting having a plug witha small opening therein fitted in an opening through its wall and at one end thereof and an inlet-at the other, a screen in the passage of said fitting arranged at an angle thereto, a pocket beneath the screen having an opening in the bottom thereof, a valve normally closing said opening and a float attached to said valve.

3. In a device of the class described, an inlet fitting having a plug with a small opening therein fitted in an opening through its wall and at one end thereof and an inlet at the other, a screen inthe passage of said fitting arranged at an angle thereto, a pocket beneath the screen having an opening in the bottom thereof, a valve normally closing said opening, means for openingsaid. valve comprising a lever to which it is connected, and a float pivoted to the lever and having a limited swinging movement with reference thereto.

4. In a device of the class described, an inlet. fitting comprising the castings 10, 16 there being an inlet opening in castinglO and a limited outlet opening in casting 16',

a screen arranged between said castings, a pocket beneath the screen having a depending internally threaded neck, a casting threaded into said neck, a lever pivoted to the last said casting, a valve stem pivoted to the lever, a valve carried by the stem and closing said opening and a float pivoted to the lever and having a limited swinging movement relative thereto.

5. In a device of the class described, an inlet fitting having a plug with a small oprming therein fitted in an opening through its wall, an inlet, and a discharge outlet, a valve normally closing the discharge outlet, a lever to which said valve is pivoted, a float having a limited movement independent of the lever and a movement With the lever to lift the valve from its seat.

6. In a device of the class described, an

inlet fitting, having a plug with a small 20 opening therein fitted in an opening through its wall, a screen protecting said plug, an outletopening adjacent the screen, a valve normally closing the outlet opening, a lever operating the valve to open the same, a float 2 pivoted to the lever and having a limited movement relative thereto.

7 In a device of the class described, an inlet fitting, having a restricted outlet, a screen mounted to protect the restricted out- 30 let, a flushing outlet adjacent the screen, a valve normally closing the flushing outlet,

a lever to Which the valve is connected, a float pivoted to the lever and having a limited movement independent thereof and 35 a further movement with the lever.

JAMES W. COX. 

